A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 99• Reunion at a Hospital

Jerry put his hand on the back of Liz's head to hold her against his chest. "We heard about Jade. Are you okay? Is she okay?" She squeaked out. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Happy tears. She was relieved to see him again. "I'm okay. Blood's not mine. I'm okay. I'm so okay." He breathed out. She was warm. His whole body, inside and out, felt cold until he held her. He knows that the cold partly comes from the fear and the other from the exhaustion. He was tired, they all were. "Come on, sit down. You're shivering a bit." Liz told him. She walked them both back to the chair where he had been sitting before. He pulled Liz onto his lap and shut his eyes as soon as she was close enough against him for his liking. "Jer, you don't have to squeeze her to death." As a response, Jerry tightened his arms that were around her waist even more. "Why don't you fuck off and get your own?" He felt a soft kiss on his hair and Liz's nails on his scalp. "Be nice." She whispered to him, although she knew Jerry wasn't listening. Liz locked her gaze with the other two boys. "Are you okay?" Jayden and Jack nodded. "We're fine. Just worried. We don't know what's happening in there." Liz turned to the door that the triplets had been staring at for what felt like hours. Henry was looking down at his feet, feeling a little uneasy, like he wasn't meant to be here. Casper was also there. Both Andrew and Henry didn't feel too comfortable with him, and their nerves did not fade away because he had a worried look in his eyes. Casper's head suddenly snapped up and checked the clock on the wall. "This shit's taking too long."
"She's been there for an hour." Ian pointed out. He couldn't blame Casper for being impatient. And they had no clue how much longer it would take. All they could hope for was that she hadn't already bled out on that table. "You guys don't know anything?" Andrew asked. Casper went back to staring at the door again whilst shaking his head. "They told us it would take a while but that they would do anything they can." Ian filled in the blanks.

He stood up to meet with Louis. "What did you do with the body?" He mumbled. They couldn't be out here in the hallway discussing a dead body with others passing by. Louis sighed loudly. He still couldn't quite grasp the fact that his best friend was dead. Survivor's guilt was already creeping up in the back of his mind. Could he have prevented that? If he hadn't carried the gun with him, or held it in his own hand, maybe Bill would still be alive. But who knows what other kind of trick he would have pulled to get out of this. The bastard was always planning on ending it like this. He should have seen it coming, really. Bill took the easiest way out. Easier than facing trial and spending years locked away behind bars. Seeing your children – even if they came – from behind glass. All your freedom taken away from you. Bill wasn't used to that and nothing could make him get to that. "Buried him under that fallen tree. No one's going to find him under there. No harm was done to his body either. That way we can bury him in one piece." Ian nodded along. Louis hadn't taken as long as he expected, in this case, that wasn't a bad thing. "No one saw us. At least I didn't see anyone. They have some time." Louis added as he looked at the three boys. "What are we going to do with them? The cops are coming very soon. They can't take them away from us again. I mean look at that kid." Ian pointed at Jerry sitting with Liz in his lap. He looked so calm and peaceful. "Can't take that kid away from his girl again. Look at him. Ain't no way we're gonna get him away again. None of them. If they try, they might actually get a reason to lock them away. We can't give them that." Louis shook his head. But the cops would be here soon, it was only a matter of time. Jayden and Jack were back in their seats with their heads pressed together as they tried their best to take a small nap. They probably couldn't until Jade came out. "We've just got to look out for them a little longer. Now with Bill gone, that shouldn't be too much of a struggle." Louis couldn't disagree with him on that.

The doors opened again, and the triplets immediately covered their faces again, or at least they were trying to. "We need you to get off those seats, uncover your faces, and put your hands in the air." Jayden's eyes widened a bit after hearing her voice. The last time he heard that was back in the prison. Donna was walking up to them with Detective Hayden Smith right beside her. "Nowhere to run anymore either, boys." Donna looked at the three boys who were still trying to hide their faces. There was no way they were going back to that awful place again willingly. She wouldn't take them. Louis stepped in front of her first before she could get any closer to the triplets. "That's far enough."
"Step aside, sir." Donna said, "We need to take in these boys. They escaped prison when they were charged with kidnappings, attempted murders, and a lot of other things. Trespassing, ownership of illegal and unregistered weapons." Louis held up his hands in defense when Donna tried to get past him again. "Listen, I know you've got nothing on them. Megan even told you so herself, these kids never truly wanted to harm her. They took her away so their father wouldn't come after her. You and I both know that. We also know you're charging them for Bill's crimes, like some kind of debt they have to pay off or something." That was no justice. They were all only out for revenge and nothing more. Bill was a freak in their eyes, a freak that needed to be punished in some kind of way. It was almost bullying in a way. "They escaped from prison. Who are you even?"
"He's their uncle." Hayden filled in, "Salvini's best friend." Louis shot a glare at the detective. "And you and your partner harassed my girl."
"That wasn't me." Hayden was quick to respond. Louis took a step toward him. "Oh, that wasn't you?" He chuckled, "Sure, sure. It was your partner, right? Yeah, yeah."

"Listen, these kids aren't going anywhere." Donna wanted to speak again when Andrew appeared. "We've got all the evidence you could ask for. Everything points to Bill Salvini, ma'am. And above that, we have a witness." The woman folded her arms over her chest. She was here to take the triplets back to where they belong. She was ashamed that it took this long in the first place. "Their sister. Jade. She was there throughout everything. And on both sides too. She was with her father until the very end because her brothers were sent away. She can confirm the whole story. It was her father, ma'am. Bill Salvini." She eyed the boy up and down. "And I'm supposed to just take your word for it?" Andrew gave her a small look. "Legally speaking you don't have anything on them now. Says so under paragraph six, ma'am. You can take them into custody, but that should be at their own home. They're not adults." They had no solid ground to stand on, really, and they knew it. The kids didn't know this either until Megan looked into it. All they had to do now was wait for Jade to, hopefully, get through those doors alive. She could be their ticket to return to the streets. Freedom.
Liz was looking at them. She was scared to death. She was clinging to her boyfriend for dear life. He couldn't leave her again, she wouldn't let them. They would have to take her too. Megan would have done the exact same. "Please don't let them take me again." She heard Jerry mumble to her. His grip around her was as tight as it had ever been. He briefly glanced up at his brothers. If they got taken he would not see them again for a very long time. Again. He couldn't take that again. He could only pray for this to be over. All three of them prayed. But then, Donna sighed in defeat. "Fine."

"For now, that is. No more running away this time." The detective started frowning at her. "Just like that? My partner, and friend, died. And all you can say is 'fine'?" Donna looked up at him. She talked to those boys countless times. They wanted to talk to her sister from the very beginning. That's all they needed. Her side of the story, but she ran away. Donna never liked seeing the kids behind bars, they were pale and sad. And most of all they were frightened. She was just doing her job. "She can change everything for these boys, Smith. If these boys are innocent, we should know." She turned to Louis again, "You were his friend." He nodded along. "That I was. These kids are my ward, now. If you want to talk to them, you talk to me." He replied sternly.